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2025 ACC Tournament: Mapping Out Virginia Tech’s Potential Opponents and Path This Week
Virginia Tech wrapped up the regular season with a loss to Clemson yesterday and now will be the No. 10 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament. The Hokies are going to face Cal in the opening round of the Tournament on Tuesday and then would face Stanford if they won against the Golden Bears.
Coming into this ACC Tournament, there is a feeling that it is a certainity that Duke is going to walk over everyone else in the conference and that there is not much of a chance for any team to make a Cinderella run to win it. Last season, NC State made one of the most memorable conference tournament runs in ACC history when they won the conference tournament as the No. 10 seed then proceeded to get all the way to the Final Four. Just a couple of years ago, Mike Young led Virginia Tech to a conference tournament title as the No. 7 seed. It is not impossible, but with the ACC in a down year and Duke looking like a historically dominant team, it seems like a longshot.
But that is why its called March Madness. If Virginia Tech was going to make a shocking run (I don’t think they can), what does their potential path look like?
Of course, they start the tournament against Cal. The two teams played once this year, a 71-68 victory for Virginia Tech. If they win that, they will face Stanford, who is the No. 7 seed in this year’s ACC Tournament. The Cardinal won the only matchup between the two teams this season 70-59, but Stanford is far from unbeatable. They stumbled down the stretch after looking like a potential threat for a double-bye and were blown out by Louisville on Saturday.
If (and I stress if) they were to win those games, Virginia Tech would then be tasked with trying to beat No. 2 seed Louisville in the quarterfinals. Just recently, Pat Kelsey’s team beat Virginia Tech by only five points. It would be the third game in three days for the Hokies, while the Cardinals would be fresh. Assuming the highest seeds win out the rest of the way, Virginia Tech would then face Clemson in the semifinals and then Duke in the championship. If they are still standing, it will be the most shocking run in ACC history, topping NC State’s run last season.
There is a very tough path ahead for the Hokies if they want to make a deep run, but this team can win a couple of games. Young is a very good coach and has gotten the most out of this team this season and are capable of beating Cal and Stanford to reach the quarterfinals, which would be an accomplishment considering where this team was projected to be.
First Round (Tuesday, March 11th)
Game 1: No. 12 Notre Dame vs No. 13 Pitt (2:00 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
Game 2: No. 10 Virginia Tech vs No. 15 Cal (4:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
Game 3: No. 11 Florida State vs No. 14 Syracuse(7:00 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
Second Round (Wendesday, March 12th)
Game 4: No. 8 Georgia Tech vs No.9 Virginia (12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 5: No. 5 SMU vs Game 1 Winner (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 6: No. 7 Stanford vs Game 2 Winner (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPNU)
Game 7: No. 6 Wake Forest vs Game 3 Winner (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPNU)
Quarterfinals (Thursday, March 13th)
Game 8: No. 1 Duke vs Game 4 Winner (12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
Game 9: No. 4 North Carolina vs Game 5 Winner (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
Game 10: No. 2 Louisville vs Game 6 Winner (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
Game 11: No. 3 Clemson vs Game 7 Winner (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
Game 12: Game 8 Winner vs Game 9 Winner (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
Game 13: Game 10 Winner vs Game 11 Winner (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
Game 12 Winner vs Game 13 Winner (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Updated ACC Tournament Title Odds: Duke Is A Heavy Favorite Heading To Charlotte, Is There Any Hope For A Longshot?
2025 ACC Men’s Tournament Bracket Finalized; Matchups, Dates, and Game Times For Next Week
Virginia Tech Basketball: Instant Takeaways from Virginia Tech’s loss to the Clemson Tigers
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Five people were charged after Virginia Beach Police conducted a two-day human trafficking and vice operation on July 3, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
The department’s Special Investigations Bureau conducted the operation, which was aimed at identifiying human trafficking victims, reducing the demand for commercial sex and targeting individuals seeking to exploit or recruit children for prostitution.
Detectives used many investigative techniques to proactively identify individuals involved in criminal activity related to prostitution, human trafficking and offenses against children. The operation was conducted in Virginia Beach, involving personnel from all of the bureau’s squads.
As a result of the operation, five people were identified and charged with offenses ranging from solicitation of prostitution to sex trafficking and crimes involving minors. Two vehicles and U.S. currency were seized during the operation. Other people were connected to victim services through Samaritan House.
The operation led to the following people being charged:
- Shane Carter, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
- Robert Harris, 64, of Virginia Beach, was charged with solicitation of prostitution and assault and battery.
- Larry Pittman, 53, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking and use of electronic devices to facilitaate certain offenses involving minors.
- Kenric Frazier, 46, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking, use of electronic devices to facilitate certain offenses involving minors and solicitation of child pornography.
- Cameron Lewis, 24, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
Investigators also developed leads about people who are suspected of trafficking and exploiting others for commercial sex. Those are now active and ongoing investigations. There may be more charges and arrests pending further investigation and consultation with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
If you’re a human trafficking victim or know someone who is, you can report it to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
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